Prep Rally

In-game exhaustion helps top QB discover heart condition

With the Merrimack Valley Conference football title still in question, Billerica (Mass.) High quarterback Nick LaSpada felt pressure in his chest as he stared down the Andover (Mass.) High defense. But it wasn't like the pressure he usually felt on the field, from game circumstances or a tight contest. Instead, it was a suffocating feeling of pressure on his lungs, making it hard to breathe. The team was even forced to call a timeout just to give the much lauded passer a chance to catch his breath.

From the moment CAT scans taken before Billerica's most recent game -- the 44-28 loss to Andover -- were finally read, LaSpada has spent his time in a bed at Winchester Hospital, where he is expected to undergo further treatment and wile away some of the six months he'll be forced to spend away from any physical activity.

"He's one of the best-conditioned athletes we've ever had at Billerica," Billerica coach Peter Flynn told the Globe. "But we noticed and the kids noticed, his endurance was down big-time. He's such a wonderful young man, it just breaks your heart."